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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24343642">home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekrateholic/pseuds/neverwhere'>neverwhere (nekrateholic)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>VIXX</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:48:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,362</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24343642</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekrateholic/pseuds/neverwhere</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Taekwoon first day as officially enlisted and going home has never been about the space.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cha Hakyeon | N/Jung Taekwoon | Leo</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverdancer/gifts">Silverdancer</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>my love!!! my mysterious I!!!!!! i don't know what to tell you that i haven't already, so many times, but public or not this will always be for you and you alone ♥</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>As Taekwoon waits for the elevator to come down, all the way from the fifth floor, he tries not to think about why he’s here exactly. Not to think, period.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like many times before, success is not in the cards.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He feels a little numb, kind of floaty and his thoughts won’t stop slamming into each other, too frantic to be ignored but not frantic enough to truly mess him up. Or maybe that’s where the numb, floaty feeling comes from? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taekwoon figures it’s fair, today at least. The first day as a military man. Sort of. It felt a lot more like the first day on a job he hates but it could be worse. He could be cooped up with a bunch of strangers, isolated, away from home and the people he loves. It’s hilariously similar to what being a trainee felt like and Taekwoon is fairly sure he would’ve survived that just like he survived his trainee years. That doesn’t mean he’d like a repeat, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The elevator dings and the doors slide open with a hiss. Taekwoon steps in, watches them close and decides he doesn’t hate it. Not as much as he could, anyway. It’s the lesser of two evils.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He presses the button without even looking at the pad, which probably says a lot about… something. He’s not in the mood to think about it too hard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The floaty feeling has eased a little by the time he steps on the right floor and just the sight of the front door makes his thoughts settle somewhat. It’s almost a natural response at this point, his mind and body automatically relaxing at the sight of this door, the space behind it. The person that makes it special, even if he’s not there right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With his fingers on the lock pad, Taekwoon once again wonders what he’s doing here. Here, in front of Hakyeon’s empty apartment on his first day of serving his country. Supposedly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But at the end of the day, the answer has always been clear: it’s Hakyeon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The apartment is not empty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The hallway is dark but there’s light streaming from under the kitchen door and Taekwoon’s heart momentarily relocates in his throat. He can probably come up with a convincing enough lie if Hakyeon’s parents have decided to check up on his place - Hakyeon’s plants, Taekwoon checking up on the place himself. He prays that no one will question why he’s decided to do it today of all days but if he’s lucky enough, Hakyeon’s parents won’t even know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The slightly better scenario would be one of the other guys - they, at least, would have no need to question. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taekwoon grips the door handle and braces himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All at once, his thoughts come to a standstill. It takes a moment for his eyes to adjust to the brightness but once they do, they only confirm what his heart somehow knew already. It’s not Hakyeon’s parents and it’s not either of the guys.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Took you awhile,” Hakyeon smiles at him, over a steaming pot on the stove. He’s in casual clothes and his hair is a little longer than it was when Taekwoon last saw him and he wants to </span>
  <em>
    <span>cry.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t. Instead he walks over, drops his bag on a chair and stares at Hakyeon, head to toe. It’s entirely possible that he’s fallen asleep and never noticed, and maybe this is all just a particularly nice dream.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hakyeon patiently waits him out - a moment, five. Then he laughs, reaches for Taekwoon’s hands. “Don’t I get a welcome home hug?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s all the prompting Taekwoon needs - it’s real, Hakyeon’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>here </span>
  </em>
  <span>and before either of them really registers the movement Hakyeon is wrapped in a hug, close, close, closer. Taekwoon presses in until it feels like the rest of the world falls away, like nothing exists outside of Hakyeon’s chest pressed into his and Hakyeon’s arms wrapped around his neck and Hakyeon, Hakyeon, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hakyeon.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome home,” Taekwoon mumbles into Hakyeon’s neck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It occurs to him that he’s welcoming Hakyeon into his own home but then again, home isn’t always physical, right? That’s what all the love songs say anyway. Home is… here. A feeling. Shared warmth - for his body and for his heart alike.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taekwoon doesn’t cry but a few stray tears escape anyway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m on vacation!” Hakyeon grins across him, over his own bowl of noodles. They’re not fancy but they’re fancier than instant at least and they taste good. Taekwoon wonders how many new things Hakyeon has learned while away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Vacation,” Taekwoon repeats, eyebrows raised. “Now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hakyeon shrugs. “I wanted to see you off too but I learned too late. Had to switch with another guy but I figure welcoming you back on your first day is almost better than seeing you off, don’t you think?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you even know I’ll come here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s a useless question and the look in Hakyeon's eyes tells him as much. Of course he’ll come here. Taekwoon looks down into his noodles and ignores the squeak of the chair when Hakyeon moves it closer, so their elbows touch with each bite.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once dinner is over, Hakyeon picks up their plates and goes to wash them like the good host he is. There’s a tension in the air and Taekwoon wonders if Hakyeon feels it too. If the electricity in his veins is mirrored in Hakyeon’s own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reaches out, hesitates. But Hakyeon is extra careful with the plate and fingers are trembling and oh,</span>
  <em>
    <span> oh.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Taekwoon feels silly, all of a sudden. Of course the electricity is shared - it always has been.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He takes the plate out of Hakyeon’s hands and kisses him, right there against the sink with Hakyeon’s soapy hands wrapping around his neck on instinct. He’ll probably get suds in Taekwoon’s hair but who cares? Hakyeon’s here, he’s here and he’s washing the stupid dishes when they could be kissing instead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Taekwoon keeps kissing, Hakyeon’s lips and his eyes and his jaw. His neck and his arms and lower, once they stumble into the bedroom. He mouths </span>
  <em>
    <span>I love you</span>
  </em>
  <span>-s against every patch of skin his lips reach and Hakyeon whispers it back to him because he’s always been better at words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This, Taekwoon thinks dizzily, this is what home feels like.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’re wrapped into each other later in the night, awake when normal people would probably be asleep already, recharging for a new day. Life will resume tomorrow but they’ve both done more on less sleep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When do you have to go back?” Taekwoon asks, even if he knows already, just like he knew Hakyeon was there before he really saw him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hakyeon snuggles closer, kisses Taekwoon’s bare shoulder. “Tomorrow. I’ll probably be gone before you wake up, life starts early on base.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taekwoon’s fingers tighten on Hakyeon’s arm and he has to force himself to relax again. “Will you wake me up?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, silly,” Hakyeon laughs, reaching up to swipe a stray lock of hair out of Taekwoon’s eyes, even if it falls right back into place. “You need your beauty sleep and I’m not going to be gone forever. I’ll be back very soon, in fact.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’ll be months,” Taekwoon insists and doesn’t fight it when he’s pulled closer still.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’ll pass before you know it,” Hakyeon says, smiles, Taekwoon can hear it. “I just wanted to… check up on you. Make sure you’re okay.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m great,” Taekwoon says on instinct.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hakyeon laughs. “Of course you are.” His fingers trace circles into Taekwoon’s side and it tickles but Taekwoon doesn’t care. “You’re so much stronger than you give yourself credit for and I am so, so proud of you. I just… worry sometimes. I miss you.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>I love you</span>
  </em>
  <span> isn’t said but Taekwoon hears it anyway and repeats it, out loud this time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he whispers, after the silence has settled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s sure Hakyeon is asleep already but a kiss lands on his neck, then another on his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There are no extra </span>
  <em>
    <span>I love you</span>
  </em>
  <span>-s this time but there’s home in the tangle of their fingers and that’s so much more than enough.</span>
</p>
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